Lisa's Showcase Prairie:Making Global Connections

Fostering a Life-Long Passion

Lisa, dressed and ready for a prescribed burn.

Lisa Stocking Gruver loved learning, loved nature and loved visioning about natural ways to care for the environment. As a child growing up in Perrysburg Ohio, her love of nature took on new dimensions at the age of 12, after a trip to Central America. She was introduced to the beauty and vulnerability of the Costa Rican rainforest, leading her on a path to raise funds for the Children's Eternal Rainforest to enhance education and conservation activities.

Lisa's awareness of the "interconnectedness" of the world's ecosystems fueled her decision to pursue a double major in Environmental Science and Global Perspectives from Principia College in Elsah, IL. She went on to earn a Masters of Science degree in Soil Science at the University of Maryland, where her focus was understanding the impact of cover crops on nematodes, a type of organism in the soil.

Putting Knowledge into Practice

Lisa and her husband, Dr. Joel Gruver, moved to Macomb, IL when he accepted a teaching position at Western Illinois University. Together they began many community projects to teach children and adults about the wonders of nature and our role in protecting ecosystems. Several Nature Quilt Fund-Raising Projects were developed with children in mind. The funds that they raised provided elementary school classes with field trips to nature center, visits by naturalists, nature-themed books and even funded on of the teachers to travel to the Children's Rainforest.

She Actively participated in tall-grass prairie restoration efforts- an activity that confirmed her passion for habitat preservation and the inter-connectivity of all living things. When Principia College Professors Roger and Gretchen Batz decided to gift their family farm (a natural prairie and oak savannah) to what would later become the Stony Hills Nature Preserve, Lisa was instrumental in securing the gift and was a founding member of the Prairie Land Conservancy.

Rainforest quilt project, 2009

Nature Quilt Projects on display in Aldo Leopold's childhood home in Burlington, IA. They are in the care of the Leopold Landscape Alliance.Read about the Nature Prairie Quilt (Center) here

A Vision for the Future

Lisa Stocking Gruver envisioned that this piece of Stony Hills could be an educational show prairie that would illustrate the abundant variety of native prairie forbs with beautiful flowers. She also hoped that this land would teach about the interconnectedness of the tall-grass prairie ecosystem to other ecosystems throughout the world and inspire active stewardship, especially among children.

On Lisa's untimely passing in 2012, Gretchen Batz wrote a haiku in dedication to Lisa's beautiful and caring spirit. She took inspiration from the migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird, which travels between the central US and the Costa Rican Rainforest. Changes in either environment have an impact on the hummingbirds and on our lives as well.

A very special thanks to our sponsors for providing additional funding for educational events and prairie restoration.

How to Share in Her Memory

A "Seed Fund" and project in memory and recognition of Lisa Stocking Gruver, a naturalist, volunteer and visionary.

The Prairie Land Conservancy lost a valuable member in 2012, Lisa Stocking Gruver. In her memory, the PLC along with her parents want to build an outdoor nature class room, nature trails and a showcase prairie for school children of all ages to explore and learn about nature and its creatures. Your donation would help the Prairie Land Conservancy achieve this wonderful project.